You I See
by TheVillainofTheStory
Summary: Collection of one-shots based on Hotch's comment in An Elephant's Memory that Reid might be the smartest kid in the room, but he's no the only kid in the room. Individual stories explained within. Rating just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everybody! I decided that I need a little drabble series to play with while I await inspiration for my other stories.  
>This is going to be a collection of one-shots (I don't know how many), ranging in length, and all drawn from the same muse. I want to see how many different ways I can manipulate Hotch's line at the end of <em>An Elephant's Memory<em> (Season 3 Episode 16), the one where he's berating Reid and says that he may be the smartest kid in the room, but he's not the only kid.  
>I'm ashamed to admit that this one was also inspired by Twilight. When everyone is trying to teach Bella how to act human after she's turned? Yeah. You'll get it if you keep reading. If you haven't ever read Breaking Dawn, then don't worry about my shameful act =P<br>I'm going to shut up and let you read now.

"According to the report," Reid pointed out, scrambling around the cluttered table for whatever report he deemed important, "her left leg had a single puncture wound in the calf. That could be where he had to inject the drug, because she was struggling to get away."

There was a murmur of assent as the rest of the team added on to the Great Doctor Reid's theory. From my position against the wall, I watched as Reid gathered papers and referred to the map on the board for confirmation. Reid, as always, had broken the case wide open. His constant reading of the reports, maps, and anything else he could get his hands on combined with his computer-like brain that assembled all information turned Reid from a simple profiler and genius into the master of the universe for a few brief moments.

And, not for the first time, I wondered why he did it. Not the job; everyone had different reasons for joining the team. I wondered why Reid always had to look back to the papers. With his eidetic memory, he doesn't need to. All the facts are up in his head, ready to be pulled out and demonstrated at a millisecond's notice.

"Hotch, you comin?" Morgan asked, waiting by the door. I nodded and strode briskly past him. Unsub now, Reid later.

-  
>The flight home was comfortable and lighthearted. We had been able to save the hostage and capture the unsub without any trouble. The rarity of the occasion was not lost on my team. Morgan was listening to his iPod and grinning at his phone; most likely he had a date to rush off to when we landed. Rossi was napping across from JJ, who was in the process of selecting pictures of Henry to send to her mother. Emily was playing solitaire while discreetly trying to read Morgan's text messages.<p>

Reid sat across from me, a thick book in his hands. His eyes flicked back and forth as he read line after line at his usual incredible speed. Even though I could tell that Reid was reading at an unparalleled rate, it took him at least forty-five seconds to flip the page.

Staring at Reid over the edge of my own book, I studied him. He read the same pages at least three times, THEN he flipped the page.

Just like with the reports, I saw _what _he was doing but not _why _he was doing it.

Frowning, I returned to my own book. Confronting Reid was always a difficult task; either he would insist (with his eyes too wide and his tone too cheerful) that everything was great or he would become defensive and insist that he could take care of himself.

I tacked the new information in my mind with the reports incident. I'd think of a way to question the elusive Dr. Reid at a later time.

-  
>Sitting at my desk, I shuffled reports restlessly. There was no reason for the few peculiarities of Reid's I had noticed to bother me so badly. At that thought, I had to stop and chuckle. A<em> few<em> peculiarities? This was a man who's socks never matched, couldn't use chopsticks, was a master of sleight of hand, counted cards, and held a terrible fear of the dark. Reid could also see the universe unravel in his mind, pulling at the strings until the answers of the cosmos fell into place before him. Reid was like a child trapped in the body of a young adult, with a mind like a computer. All of that put together, I still had no idea why the reports vexed me so badly.

A tentative knocking at the door broke me from my irritated contemplation. "Come in," I called, grabbing a report and trying to look productive.

Reid slipped into the room and closed the door carefully behind him. Standing awkwardly at the door, he waited quietly for me to finish up the report that I had absolutely no interest in.

"Reid," I said in some form of brisk greeting. "Was there something I can do for you?" I had no idea why he was here. The case had gone smoothly, unless I had not been paying close enough attention. Scrutinizing Reid closely, I noted the dark circles that always surrounded his eyes. Other than that, he seemed fine. "Are you alright?" I asked, just to make sure.

Clearing his throat nervously, Reid sat in one of the chairs across from my desk and placed his ridiculous messenger's bag on the ground. "I, uh, saw you watching me on the plane. And in the police office earlier?" It was a statement, but as per the usual Reid syntax, it tilted up at the end to form a question. "I just wanted to make sure that I hadn't done anything…" He trailed off nervously to stare at me in expectation.

It was as good a time as any. "Yes, I was watching you. I'm curious as to why you always refer back to the reports and files when I know you have them memorized. It seems like it would be quicker to just recall the information."

Reid squirmed uncomfortably, so I continued. "And on the plane, when you were reading. You must have read those pages at least three times each before you turned the page. I just want to know why."

We sat there in silence for a few minutes while Reid struggled with himself. When he finally reached a decision, he looked up and asked, "Would you mind not telling the others?"

"Of course," I assured him with a nod. The rest of the team hadn't even noticed the quirks, so it was an easy promise to make.

Taking a deep breath, Reid blurted, "It's so that I can pretend to be normal."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. This boy, this brilliant, innocent, kind boy whom nature had gifted with such intelligence, wanted to be normal?

"Not normal like you're thinking!" he assured me quickly. I gestured for him to explain. "It's just, when I start rattling off information and pulling facts and, well, talking in general, I kinda freak people out. Normal people can't hold all that information and consciously use it, and when I do they think I'm lying or that I'm a freak. I developed the habit of grabbing for a folder whenever we're on a case, because it prevents the local LEO's and others from being distracted and uncomfortable."

I nodded in understanding. We never seemed to deal with open minded people. "I'm sorry that you have to do that, Reid. It's not easy being the smartest kid in the room, is it?"

"At least this way I'm not the only kid in the room. Honestly though, Hotch?" he said, grinning like a kid, "Most of the time I don't even bother to grab the right folder."

I chuckled, more at his obvious amusement than at the act itself. I still had a question that he had not answered. "And the reading on the plane?"

"For the same reason. Also, I read faster than I can flip the pages," he admitted, ducking his head with another grin.

I shook my head, trying to hide my smile. Reid may not have liked being the only kid in the room, but he was good at it.

Review, tell me your thoughts, and feel free to suggest interpretations of my self-imposed prompt!


	2. Chapter 2

Here's another one!  
>This is a short segment that is Reid-centric. In my humble opinion it is written better than the previous one, but you can decide that on your own.<p>

The silence was nice. He could admit that readily to himself, though he was a bit more leery of admitting that to the rest of the team. Alone, in a room (most of the time the 'room' being no better than a closet), with nothing but maps, reports, and files for company. In his own little bubble, separate and solitary, he held dominion over every facet of the case that could be quantified on paper. Reid liked it that way.

Spencer Reid didn't crave solitude; he'd had enough of that as a child. He wasn't antisocial, just socially awkward (though that honestly had no bearing on the topic at hand, in his opinion). In the meeting room, no one was in his space trying to be too helpful, or being confused, or (and this was the worst) being _uncomfortable_ as the genius did his work. The team had long since learned that he did his best work without their input. Most of the time they either repeated information that he already knew, or they couldn't keep up with his mental leaps and bounds. He was always annoyed by the former and pitied them for the latter. The local LEOs were typically edgy and wary around Reid, and he begrudgingly granted that they had never met a real genius before.

The geographic profile was Reid's personal favorite. The huge map, splayed across the wall or corkboard, covered in multicolored pins always made him smile. It was precise, it was orderly, and it was perhaps one of the most useful tools at the BAU's disposal. It allowed them to see where the UNSUB had been and potentially where they were going. Reid liked the geographic profile not only because the team depended on him for it, but also because Hotch and Rossi tended to brag about his skill with it. Well, as much as those two men **could** brag about a geographic profile, anyway.

Sometimes he felt like he was being scrutinized while he worked. The times when the room they were using was nothing but glass windows. Reid always likened himself to a fish in a fishbowl, or being put on a slide under a microscope in those circumstances. On some level, intellectually, he knew that no one was really watching him. But, even though the feeling was a bit uncomfortable, it was nice to think that someone could see what he was doing. An imagined audience always made him feel like he was doing some great magic trick that he couldn't afford to mess up.

Reid never wanted the team to know how much he enjoyed being cooped up in that tiny room. They wouldn't understand. While they were out in the field, dealing with the horror and gore of the job, he viewed the cases through cold, technical words and pictures. It wasn't that he couldn't handle being out in the field (Reid didn't _always_ exile himself to the team room), the genius just knew where he was most effective.

And, he admitted silently with a small smile as he placed another pushpin, sometimes it was nice just being the only kid in the room.

-  
>Review, tell me your thoughts, and feel free to suggest interpretations of my self-imposed prompt!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Okey dokey. This one is uber short and border-line crack. That scene in Risky Business when Morgan runs out of the classroom and chases down the kid? This is just what Reid is doing while Morgan is doing what he does best.

The kids in the class didn't seem phased when Chris bolted out of the room. As far as they were concerned, he was a freak who had isolated himself purposely. Why he had ran, they didn't know. They also didn't care.

"Aren't you going to run after your friend?" one of the girls asked Reid in the awkward silence that had followed.

"Me?" Reid squeaked, then coughed. "No. See, this is what we keep Agent Morgan around for. It's kind of his specialty."

A boy raised his hand. "He specializes in chasing high school kids?" he asked sarcastically.

"No, of course not," Reid scoffed. "He chases any one who tries to run from our team. He has a bit of skill unarming people with baseball bats. We use him like an attack dog. Agent Morgan is also quite adept to kicking down doors."

The students were silent. "Well, then what's your specialty?" the first girl asked.

"Me?" Reid asked, smiling wistfully. "I specialize at being the smartest kid in the room."


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, time for something cliché. This is actually Emily-centric, and humorous. Enjoy!

-  
>Emily Prentiss was early. The bullpen at the BAU was completely empty and the lights were still off in testimony to the fact that even the janitors had gone home. Emily didn't mind the solitude. In fact, she preferred it. The last case had been absolutely brutal, hitting Em harder than the other team members. Her sleep had been plagued with nightmares and every shadow in her apartment seemed to hold some terror. The BAU office had always been a haven of sorts for the team; bad things never happened directly in that room. Desperate for some level of comfort, Emily decided to dive into the paperwork that was piled up on her desk.<p>

After placing her replenished go bag and purse at her desk and flicking the lights on Emily headed for the break room. Coffee called to her, its warm and rich caress waiting to banish the rest of her fears and fatigue.

The break room door was closed, but the light was on. Before she could think to peer through the window or pull out her gun (it had been one of those kinds of cases), a loud, breathy moan erupted from the room.

"You like that, Spence?" a deep voice teased. Emily's eyes nearly popped out of her head; was that Hotch? And Reid?

"Mmhmm," Reid hummed. Emily crouched down on the ground and pressed her ear to the door, trying to hear what was going on. "I think you should lick it a bit more though. It's starting to drip."

Hotch chuckled, and Reid let out another moan. "Like that?" he asked, again with the teasing tone. Emily had never heard Hotch tease, and that alone was a good reason for her to stay and spy on her boss and colleague. As a profiler, she was pretty sure she knew what was going on. As Hotch's and Reid's friend, Emily hoped that she was very wrong.

"Now you suck on it," Reid explained breathlessly. "And try not to use your teeth. That's no fun."

Hotch apparently did as he was asked, because a moment later Reid let out a high pitched whine. _I never needed to know what Reid's sex noise was,_ Emily thought with an embarrassed shudder, blushing furiously.

"Not bad for my first one," Hotch commented off hand. His tone was light, almost joking.

Reid chuckled. "You've got a bit running down your chin," he pointed out. Emily closed her eyes and prayed to whatever god that was listening that Reid didn't lick it off Hotch's chin.

Emily stood up, took a deep breath, and opened the break room door. There sat Hotch and Reid on the counter like school boys, grinning like idiots. "What is going on here?" she demanded, glaring at them both.

Hotch immediately hopped off the counter top and straightened his tie. Reid on the other hand saw nothing to be ashamed of and continued swinging his long legs back and forth. Emily's resolve wavered a bit; Reid was always so innocent and childlike. Was there really any way that he and Hotch could have…?

"I'll be in my office," Hotch declared in his typical business like voice. He glanced back at Reid and much to Emily's surprise, ruffled the genius's long hair. Without another word, he was gone.

"What the hell is going on here?" Emily asked again as she turned back to Reid.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come here and do some paper work," Reid began in his lecturing voice. Emily rolled her eyes; could she never have an original idea? "Hotch was here already, though I don't think he ever left. I finished today's paper work, and so did he, and we just happened to run into each other while getting coffee.

"I was in the fridge getting out a Drumstick, because it's never too early or late for ice-cream. Hotch saw it and asked what it was. Did you know that Hotch has never eaten a drumstick?" Reid asked, interrupting his own story. He was obviously aghast at his boss's lack of ice-cream experience.

"I'm not surprised," Emily answered with a chuckle. The entire situation was ridiculous, she felt ridiculous, and the story wasn't over yet.

"So I gave him one, but he couldn't figure out how to eat it!" Reid exclaimed. "So I had to explain the proper Drumstick eating technique as we went."

"And that weird whining noise you made? I was listening outside the door, and it sounded like there was some weird hanky-panky going on in here."

The Great Doctor Reid looked sheepish. "I was sad because I finished my ice-cream," he admitted. "Sorry if we weirded you out. But there was no 'hanky-panky', I promise. But there is more ice-cream in the freezer. I brought it because I knew how hard the last case was. Feel free to have some."

With a grin, Reid slid off the counter and walked back to the bull pen.

Emily grabbed an ice-cream sandwich out of the freezer and leaned back against the counter. "Well," she said to herself as she unwrapped her treat, "This is what I get for thinking I'm the only kid in the room."

-  
>Thanks for reading! Remember, reviews with suggestions for interpreting my prompt are always welcome (and if you don't know what my self-imposed propmt is, go back and read the author's note in ch. 1). ThanksIloveyoubyebye!<p> 


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